Should I move to ND? (Fargo, Grand Forks: fit in, apartment, to rent)

[Repubocrat]

Hello, I am thinking about moving to Fargo from Minneapolis and I needed some feedback. The job market here is awful and I would be ashamed of sitting at home doing nothing for another year. I have been to Fargo before and although there is not much to do there, I would not mind living there for a while as long as I can find a job, even a crappy one. I have a degree in Economics, I worked in the financial sector for many years and I lost my job, now, I am getting a bit desperate.

My idea is to relocate to Fargo, get any job temporarily, apply for graduate school at UND and eventually find a job in GF. I hear that people from ND are not very friendly towards people coming from other states( ignorance perhaps?) but we helped you everytime the Red River flooded, so I don't get it.

Anyways, I am hoping I can move to ND and have a decent experience without having to deal with too much ignorance, standoffishness, nepotism and other things along these lines. Any feedback is appreciated!

[FargoBison]

Might be worth a try, the economy is ok here, only negative is winter is fast approaching.

I don't know about the rest of the state but with Fargo being a border city and a huge college town I don't think you'll face much unfriendliness about being from another state(especially Minnesota).

[Cobber_09]

The cost of living is low and the economy is alright. All my friends that live in the twin cities can't believe what I pay to rent my apartment. The pace is a lot slower than in the cities, depending on how you feel that can good or bad. I LOVE the people and have never thought that they were standoffish especially if you are from Minnesota (I'm from Minnesota). There are plenty of people from the twin cities in this area so people wouldn't even bat an eye at that let alone be rude to you because of it. The winters are cold and in the springtime it very well could flood. But the cost of living is low and the people are nice.

[TravisW]

Originally Posted by Repubocrat

Hello, I am thinking about moving to Fargo from Minneapolis and I needed some feedback. The job market here is awful and I would be ashamed of sitting at home doing nothing for another year. I have been to Fargo before and although there is not much to do there, I would not mind living there for a while as long as I can find a job, even a crappy one. I have a degree in Economics, I worked in the financial sector for many years and I lost my job, now, I am getting a bit desperate.

My idea is to relocate to Fargo, get any job temporarily, apply for graduate school at UND and eventually find a job in GF. I hear that people from ND are not very friendly towards people coming from other states( ignorance perhaps?) but we helped you everytime the Red River flooded, so I don't get it.

Anyways, I am hoping I can move to ND and have a decent experience without having to deal with too much ignorance, standoffishness, nepotism and other things along these lines. Any feedback is appreciated!

Don't believe everything you hear. I heard the same thing about Minnesota, and they're basically about the same.

[Dopefish]

Repubocrat, there's going to be ignorant, xenophobic people no matter where you go. In my experience in North Dakota, I've met very few people with this attitude. If you choose not to surround yourself with these types of people, you won't encounter them much. Also, young people in the state are pretty open to meeting someone new, as not many people move here. Getting to know someone new is interesting and exciting for most, so I don't think you'll have a problem.

Overall, I think North Dakota is a pretty friendly state. People are generally hard working, active, and accepting. As a student, you should have no trouble finding a job around Fargo or Grand Forks, though professional jobs are a little tougher to get into as there don't seem to be many options here.

My advice is to treat others as you'd like to be treated. If you plan on moving here with a bad attitude about the people you'll be interacting with, you're not going to find much sympathy. Come with an open mind and you should be fine and fit in great.

[DreamDragon]

We are military and just came to ND from Las Vegas. My family is mixed and everyone is eager to welcome us to ND. If you are willing to say hi, they are willing to do the rest. We've stayed in Bismark for 3 days and came up to Minot. From what I've heard from other military families, every city is just as welcoming in this state. Shocker huh? It's nice to feel safe for a change. Hope this helps.

[rsdplaya]

maybe just move straight up to grand forks if you're planning on going to grad school there anyway...

[Cain]

Originally Posted by rsdplaya

maybe just move straight up to grand forks if you're planning on going to grad school there anyway...

+1

[roundball]

Originally Posted by rsdplaya

maybe just move straight up to grand forks if you're planning on going to grad school there anyway...

Seems only logical to me. If you plan on moving to GF in 1-2 years why not go there now and find a job, rent a place, and meet people.

Maybe you're leaving something out, why move to Fargo?

[schiphol]

Grand Forks is great. It's nice, quiet, and very peaceful. The people I have encountered have been nothing but nice from college kids, shop keepers, elderly, to people that look like they hunt other people. UND is a great school and the tuition coupled with the low cost of living here can't be beat.
A lot of my classmates who are not from here just want to get away every weekend, though. There isn't much to do in terms of distractions but there is a mall (sorta, more like a dying mall), two movie theaters in the area, lots of restaurants, and beautiful people. I sent you a PM about my thoughts and experiences.